A License to Avoid Context?

Week before last a group held a Feast of Tabernacles observance here in Waco. And I attended several of their services. While I enjoyed visiting with some old friends from the Houston area and heard some good things, I decided the following scripture, referenced at least three times by two different men, needed further study.

Isa 28:9-10
9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
KJV

These verses are quoted in the qroup's publication "Fourteen Rules for Bible Study" this way:

"The second vital key to Scriptural understanding is clearly taught in Isaiah 28: 'Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts [that is, fully grounded in the Word of God and not a spiritually immature Christian feeding only on the milk of the Word]. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little' (Isa. 28:9-10, JPSA).

"The book of Isaiah tells us that in order to understand doctrine, we must study the Scriptures line upon line and precept upon precept. This is exactly how we should study every doctrinal question. The New Testament confirms this approach to understanding the Word of God and establishing sound doctrine! 'Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a workman [in the Word of God], not being ashamed, straightly cutting [rightly dividing--precept upon precept, and line upon line] the Word of Truth' (II Tim. 2:15, AT)."

The "here a little, and there a little" could indicate context wasn't important. Indeed one speaker used Isa 28:9-10 to justify taking Amos 3:3 (itself taken out of context) and bouncing all around the bible, a verse here, part of a verse there, to "prove" whatever point he was making,

But maybe these verses of Isa 28 should be looked at in context themselves. Who is the "he" in v. 9? Isaiah? God? Or someone else since it doesn't say? Let's look at the context. Here's the beginning of the chapter.

Isa 28:1-8
28 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, whose glorious beauty is a fading flower, which are on the head of the fat valleys of them that are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet:

4 And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

5 In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the residue of his people,

6 And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
KJV

So, Isaiah has been speaking to "the drunkards of Ephraim [the nation of Israel]," and, in particular, the drunken priests and prophets. This was so prevalent that vomit was everywhere.

But who is speaking in v. 9-10? The New King James Version places quotation marks around these verses, indicating it is not Isaiah.

According to the Ryrie Study Bible notes it was the leaders referenced in the prior verses. "The leaders were indignant at Isaiah's lecturing them as if they were little children and mocked his method."

New International Version Study Bible notes have it this way: "The mocking response of Isaiah's hearers," They say here as well to compare these verses to "the mocking tones of 5:19."

Along with the King James Version there are some other, mostly older, translations that read such that the words can be taken to be Isaiah's. One modern version that does so is the Complete Jewish Bible translated by David H. Stern, but it also captures the tone. It reads:

Isa 28:9-10
9 Can no one be taught anything?
Can no one understand the message?
Must one teach barely weaned toddlers,
babies just taken from the breast,

10 so that [one has to use nursery rhymes]?--
Tsav la-tsav, tsav la-tsav,
kav la-kav, kav la-kav,
z'eir sham, z'eir sham
[Precept by precept, precept by precept,
line by line, line by line,
a little here, alittle there].
CJB

The Hebrew above must be very difficult to get a correct translation of. A note in the NIV Study Bible describes the passage as "possibly meaningless sounds;perhaps a mimicking of the prophet's words," while to Stern these words read like a nursery rhyme. Note also the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon explanation of these words shown below.

Whatever, these two verses are certainly nothing to build doctrine around. Without a doubt they're no authority to ignore context.


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Below are the Strong's Concordance/Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (Abridged) definitions for the words used in Isaiah 28:10:
　
OT:6957
OT:6957 qav or qav —
1) a cord, a line, a measuring-line
a) a cord
b) a measuring-line
2) Brown-Driver-Briggs: the onomatapoetic mimicry of Isaiah's words, perhaps it was meant to be senseless
(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
　
OT:6673
OT:6673 tsav or tsav —
a command, a ordinance, oracle (the meaning is uncertain); used in mocking mimicry of Isaiah's words and thus not a true divine command
(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)
　
OT:8033
OT:8033 sham —
there, thither
a) there
b) thither (after verbs of motion)
c) from there, thence
d) then (as an adverb of time)
(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

OT:2191
OT:2191 ze`eyr —
a little
a) used of quantity
b) used of time
(from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.)

　
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Here's the New King James Version text:

Isa 28:1-13
1 Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim,Whose glorious beauty is a fading flowerWhich is at the head of the verdant valleys,To those who are overcome with wine!

2 Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one,Like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm,Like a flood of mighty waters overflowing,Who will bring them down to the earth with His hand.

3 The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim,Will be trampled underfoot;

4 And the glorious beauty is a fading flower.

5 In that day the Lord of hosts will beFor a crown of glory and a diadem of beautyTo the remnant of His people,

6 For a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,And for strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.

7 But they also have erred through wine,And through intoxicating drink are out of the way;The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drink,They are swallowed up by wine,They are out of the way through intoxicating drink;They err in vision, they stumble in judgment.

8 For all tables are full of vomit and filth;No place is clean.

9 "Whom will he teach knowledge?And whom will he make to understand the message?Those just weaned from milk?Those just drawn from the breasts?

10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,Line upon line, line upon line,Here a little, there a little."

11 For with stammering lips and another tongueHe will speak to this people,

12 To whom He said, "This is the rest with whichYou may cause the weary to rest,"And, "This is the refreshing";Yet they would not hear. ,

13 But the word of the Lord was to them,"Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,Line upon line, line upon line,Here a little, there a little,"That they might go and fall backward, and be brokenAnd snared and caught.
NKJV